2021 Military Child of the Year Awards Gala

Operation Homefront presents our 13 th Annual

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR AWARDS GAL A ®

April 19, 2018 | Arlington, VA Arlington, VA

WELCOME

Dear Awardees, Understanding that our military families serve our country alongside their loved ones, we take time each year to celebrate the outstanding achievements of select group of exceptional young people—a group we recognize as our Military Child of the Year recipients—and despite a global pandemic, this year is no exception.

You were competitively selected by a distinguished panel of judges for your leadership, volunteerism, scholarship, and extracurricular involvement, with the understanding that you excelled while also coping with parental deployments, relocations, and the many other challenges that often characterize military family life. Most impressively, you were able to shine during a time when the devastating effects of a global pandemic dominated our lives.

Normally, I would have the distinct pleasure to introduce you during my opening remarks at our annual awards gala in the Washington DC area, but sadly, the uncertainty surrounding the future course of COVID-19 required us to cancel our big event for another year. While we won’t be able to honor you and your fellow awardees “in person”, we will do everything we can to help celebrate your significant accomplishments “in spirit.”

I would also like to make you aware of the amazing sponsors/contributors who supported this year’s celebration: Pratt & Whitney – this is the 10th consecutive year they have served as our presenting sponsor: Booz Allen Hamilton; Procter & Gamble; Carnival Cruise Line; University of Cincinnati Online; actor & writer David Hoffman; PNC Foundation; Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.; John Hopkins US Family Health Plan; Veterans United Home Loans; as well as our media sponsor, Military Times. This group, as well as all those who support our important work, share our unwavering commitment to serving those who have done so much for all of us…our military families.

On behalf of the entire Operation Homefront family – our staff, board members, volunteers, corporate/foundation/individual donors, and all our other key stakeholders—I am honored to recognize your many accomplishments to date and to extend our very best wishes for your continued success in your very bright future.

Sincerely,

John I. Pray Jr. Brigadier General USAF (ret) Operation Homefront President & CEO 2 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

PROUD TO SPONSOR OPERATION HOMEFRONT’S MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR AWARDS Congratulations to the exceptional recipients of this year’s awards.

From all of us at Pratt & Whitney, thank you for your devotion and service.

Booz Allen Hamilton Program Ad

CELEBRATING TEENS WHO ARE CHANGING THE WORLD We’re proud to be the Innovation Sponsor for Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year awards. Congratulations to all the military teens whose resiliency, leadership, achievement, and strength of character help shape a brighter future for all.

Join Booz Allen in our commitment to military families at BoozAllen.com/socialimpact

SPONSORS

Procter & Gamble Ad (Tracking for March 29)

JUDGES

Russell Allen

Terence A. Harrison

Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron

Maura Hart

Chobani U.S. Navy

University of Cincinnati U.S. Army

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Air Force, Retired GEICO Military

Ruth Harvey

Larry Cassels

Col. Marty Hauser,

Food Lion U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

Ruth A. Christopherson Senior Vice President Citi Community Relations Colonel, (SD Air National Guard), Retired

Bill Cooper

Chobani U.S. Army Veteran

1st Lt. Adam Croissant

Army, Retired Chobani

Ann Snow

Wheels for Wishes

Michael P Stadnick Attorney, Bend Oregon

Zoe Stern General Mills

Fiancé of Navy Veteran

U.S. Air Force, Retired Otero Operation Homefront Board Member

Ken Thewes

David Hoffman

Southern New Hampshire University U.S. Army Veteran and Military Spouse

U.S. Army Brat

MaryAnn Imroth

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts U.S. Army Veteran

Col. David A. Lee

Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired CVS Health

Regal U.S. Air Force

Dr. Kendra Thomas

Emily Thomas General Mills Military Spouse

Alex Vantaggiato

Brady Lefere

PulteGroup Inc.

Nike U.S. Army Reserves

General Mills U.S. Navy

Zaniya Lewis

Thomas Videki

Rebecca Dohren Lipus

Lt. Co.Bill Lockwood

Vinnie DiCarlo

Sempra Energy

Sarah Dorgan Bank of America

Michael Dougherty

NJ Army National Guard Veteran

Ian Driscoll

Sesame Workshop U.S. Army, Retired May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust

Angelo Lombardi

Sentia Wellness Operation Homefront Board Member

Interstate Batteries Major, U.S. Army Reserves

Sloane Lucas

Ashtyn Duddleston

Adrian Marzec

Chobani U.S. Army Veteran

Veronica Finch

Nike West Point Graduate

Greg Finchum

Food Lion

1-800-Flowers.com Motorola Solutions U.S. Navy Veteran

Liz Mascolo General Mills

Hilary Mayes SpartanNash

Dianna Fisher

Lt. Cmdr. Tanya M.V. Edwards

Laurie Gallo

Don North

GDIT Wife of Retired Navy Master Chief Operation Homefront Board Member

James Gordon

GEICO Military Assistance Team U.S. Army (IN National Guard) Retired

U.S. Navy, Retired Bank of America, Military Bank Overseas Division

Sandra Olivarez

Walmart, Military Programs Formally Dual Military Brat & Military Spouse

Jenny Palmberg U.S. Bank

Atlanta United FC/ Arthur M Blank Family Foundation Overwatch Committee

Peter Volpe

Choice Hotels International U.S. Air Force Reserve

Sean L. Walker

The Home Depot Foundation U.S. Army, Retired

Steve Whisler

John Hopkins U.S. Family Health Plan U.S. Navy, Retired

Sherry White

Proctor & Gamble

Linda G. Williams

Thompson Habib Denison

Eli Wohlenhaus

D.C. Military Publications

Katie WurzbachLesniowski Nike U.S. Army Veteran

Brittany Young

PulteGroup, West Florida Division

MIL ITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Award for Innovation E M M A

R E M L E Y

Emma Remley, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for Innovation, created a legacy of her own at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan, by building a sensory garden that everyone could enjoy, and in particular other military kids, like her, who cope with anxiety.

Emma is the daughter of Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Remley and Lydia Remley, a teacher. She is the only child of dual-military parents; both her mom and dad previously served in the Marine Corps. The family now lives in Papillion, Nebraska, where her dad is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base.

Sensory gardens have long been used to help those with depression, anxiety, or just provide a feeling of calm. Emma first came up with the idea after she experienced anxiety during her father’s five-month deployment. Emma’s garden was uniquely innovative due to its creative incorporation of grounding techniques into the design.

Grounding is a strategy designed to connect a person with the present moment using the five senses.

Grounding can help manage a variety of conditions, like anxiety or depression. In Emma’s garden, wooden signs guide visitors through

8 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

exercises to experience the garden.

Plants are meant to be touched, smelled and tasted. Wind chimes, large ornamental grasses and a solar-powered water feature all allow visitors to escape from the sounds of the military base, and Tokyo in the distance. For the younger children, there are scavenger hunt cards available at the garden providing an age-appropriate guide.

Emma first proposed her idea to the base commander and wing command chief. She worked with the American and Japanese Red Cross, and the Girl Scouts.

Community members provided donations and feedback on the design. She worked with the Exceptional Family Member Program Manager to ensure the garden was impactful to as many different people as possible. The Red Cross continues maintnance of the garden.

Emma is a senior at Papillion La-Vista South High School. She plans to attend West Virginia University’s Department of Forensic and Investigative Science in the Fall of 2021.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said it’d be easy. They just promised it would be worth it.”

—Dr. Seuss

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS 12-year Girl Scout with Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards American Red Cross Youth Volunteer of the Quarter Award 5-year member of National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society 2021 Rotary Club of Omaha West Senior Recognition Award Papillion La-Vista South High School Frontline Section Leader Yokota High School Cheerleading Captain Co-leader for Girl Scout World Thinking Day joint events with Japanese Girl Scouts Advanced Placement Scholar with Honor recognition

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Army

C A L E B

P I P E S

Caleb Pipes, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the Army, is a cancer survivor, world traveler, and Eagle Scout who embodies resilience and the spirit of helping others.

He was able to reunite with two of his favorite things—his bike and his dad, whom he had been separated from for a whole year due to the treatment.

The 18-year-old son of Army Col. Gregory Pipes and Lindsay Pipes, a marriage and family therapist, Caleb is the second oldest of five children. The family lives in Kailua, Hawaii, where his dad is stationed.

Caleb has moved overseas five times. The combination of moving to different parts of the world, surviving cancer, and with his mom as his role model, Caleb has an adventurous and giving spirit. As an Eagle Scout, he helped build an outdoor toy chest for kids at the Fisher House. He is a certified scuba diver, excels at karate, an avid pianist, and spent 30 days trekking in the Himalayas with his family.

Caleb’s biggest challenge in his young life has been his battle with cancer. He was diagnosed at 14.

His father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu and the family lived in Nepal. With his mom and three siblings, Caleb moved to California for his treatment. Having already been separated from his dad for two years because of his dad’s job, being apart was even harder.

He spent his first day of high school in a transfusion chair in the oncology wing of Valley Children’s Hospital in California. After that he had six months of chemotherapy and radiation. A year after completing his treatment, along with several scans showing no evidence of cancer, Caleb and his dad rode around the island of Oahu on a 135-mile, three-day bike ride.

10 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

Caleb is a senior at Wilson Hill Academy, an online Christian Classical school headquartered in Austin, Texas, which he has attended from Nepal, California, and now Hawaii. He also attends the Kailua Community Church.

He hopes to study mechanical engineering and one day design and program aquatic robots.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“For I know the plans I have for you,­‘declares the Lord,’ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” —Jeremiah 29:11

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Boy Scouts of America, Troop 425 Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Aloha Council Kailua Community Church Eta Sigma Alpha Honor Society­— Zeta Delta Chapter President Knights Isshin-Ryu Karate (Karate— 3rd Degree Brown Belt) Newspaper Club, Wilson Hill Academy FIRST Robotics Teams Shakespeare Reading Club, Wilson Hill Academy Junior Classical League, Wilson Hill Academy

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Marine

E L E A N O R Eleanor “Ella” David, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the Marine Corps, realized her passion for violin during a temporary hiatus from the instrument because of a broken wrist. She has since dedicated herself to the violin and viola and is now an aspiring professional musician.

Ella,17, lives in Falls Church, Virginia, and is a senior at McLean High School. She is the daughter of Medha and Col. George David, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Cyberspace Warfare Group based at Fort Meade, Maryland.

She has performed as principal violinist and violist in her schools’ orchestras and in community groups. While her arm was in a cast, Ella documented progress of her fellow student musicians, then used her violin as physical therapy to regain range of motion.

She began playing viola in eighth grade at the suggestion of a quartet coach, who became her private instructor.

Music, she says, has provided an avenue for connecting with other students when her family has moved with the military. The Davids have lived in Japan, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, having

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D AV I D PCS’d seven times in her lifetime.

Ella’s father has deployed for a total of 50 months during her lifetime.

In addition to music activities, Ella excels in academics and on the soccer field. She combined her interests in music and science for a study of the mechanics of sound production in string instruments, a winning project in the 2020 Fairfax County Science Fair. She has achieved top scores on all nine AP tests taken and earned the distinction of National AP Scholar for 2020.

Ella serves as a chemistry and math tutor at her high school and helped develop virtual tutoring sessions in chemistry and calculus to adapt to online learning in response to COVID-19. Outside of school, she enjoys scuba diving, sailing, and watercolor painting.

Living overseas inspired an interest in languages and cultures. She has studied Spanish and Arabic and is learning Latin and Brazilian Portuguese.

Ella plans to study chemical engineering and viola performance in college.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

—Marie Curie

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Chemnections Tutoring Club, Outreach Director, McLean High School Calculus tutor for McMatics, McLean High School Principal Violist, Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster, McLean High School Orchestra National Science Honors Society member Latin Honors Society member Honorable Mention, US Army Orchestra Young Artist’s Competition National AP Scholar 2020

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Navy

D A S I A Dasia Bandy, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the Navy, first aspired to be president of the United States when she was 7 years old. As commander-inchief, she reasoned, she could order her father home from deployment with the U.S. Navy.

Now an 18-year-old freshman studying international affairs at The George Washington University, Dasia still aspires to be president of the United States—after serving in the U.S. Senate. However, she views her potential impact through a wider lens of advocacy, particularly in youth activism.

Dasia’s father, Lee Bandy, retired Petty Ofc.1st Class served as an operation specialist aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS George Washington, and the USNS Big Horn. During his 20-year career, he provided support for the U.S. and foreign countries.

Though the family never had a permanent change of station, Dasia, her three younger siblings and their mom, Dayna, endured a total of 60 months of deployments.

During his absences, and because her mother worked full time, Dasia shouldered responsibilities for added chores such as cooking and cleaning at an early age, and 14 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

B A N D Y she was in charge of getting her brother and two sisters up and ready for school and then overseeing their homework after school.

In her own academic life, Dasia soared while balancing the rigors of Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses with extracurriculars. She co-founded her school’s Multicultural Club in response to a traumatizing incident at school that was racially motivated. She also proposed plans for increasing minority student participation in advanced courses and for diversity and inclusion training for teachers.

In addition to serving as a student leader and earning academic accolades such as the AP Scholars Award, Dasia also competed with the Grassfield High School varsity gymnastics team.

Last year, she logged about 1,000 hours of volunteer time working with organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of America, the Norfolk chapter of the Jack and Jill America, and City of Chesapeake Youth Advisory Board.

Before launching her career as a public servant, Dasia aspires to educate and empower young people about holistic health, emphasizing physical, mental, social,

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Someone is always watching.”

—African Akan proverb that reminds us to maintain integrity.

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Grassfield High School Multicultural Club co-founder Grassfield High DECA District President Unilever, Dove’s Self-Esteem Project, Global Youth Board Member as U.S. Representative Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Volunteer and 2019 National Military Youth of the Year Jack and Jill of America Inc., Mid-Atlantic Regional Teen Vice President; Norfolk Chapter teen president Parent Magazine contributor Norfolk Federal Bureau of Investigation Trainee Summer Program Participant, teen spokesperson George Washington University Student Association, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Air Force

N YA H Nyah Gray, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the Air Force, developed powerful resilience as a little girl when her father died.

In tragedy, she found refuge in music and academics. Now, the 17-year-old high school junior who lives in Buda, Texas, makes it her mission to find value in people and objects that others see as flawed or even worthless.

In addition to volunteer work with special needs children, Nyah founded Key Change, a ministry that restores pianos destined to be discarded and donates them to schools and nursing homes for music therapy programs. She also participated in a program to collect used eyeglasses and distribute them to villagers in Benin, West Africa.

Nyah is the daughter of Heather Gray Blalock and Maj. Walter David Gray, an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party air liaison officer who was killed in action in 2012.

Her stepfather, retired Air Force Col. Jack Andrew Blalock, served as commander of a civil engineer squadron and as Air Force ROTC commander at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, until his retirement earlier this year.

16 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

G R AY Those who know Nyah admire her ability to handle adversity with faith and a determination to let obstacles make her stronger.

Nyah was 8 years old when her family became a Gold Star Family.

Her father was serving in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, when he and three others died in an attack by a suicide bomber. Nyah took on responsibilities at home, pitched in with cooking, and helped her two younger siblings with homework.

Through it all, Nyah has excelled academically. She was recognized as a NASA Texas High School Aerospace Scholar, is a member of Mu Eta Sigma national math honor society, and she participates in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad.

Nyah is an accomplished pianist and enjoys the arts. She credits the many military moves with her father and stepfather for sparking an interest in languages and cultures.

That passion could one day develop into a career, perhaps as a linguist with the CIA or as a Bible translator.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?’ …

And I said, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.”

—English Standard Version, Isaiah 6:8 , the verse inscribed on her father’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. The verse is a truism for military life and life in general, Nyah said.

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Pianist, youth praise band, Hays Hills Baptist Church Founder of Key Change, a ministry that refurbishes pianos and donates them to music therapy programs Mu Eta Sigma National Math Honor Society NASA Texas High School Aerospace Scholars program, 2020-2021 Air Force Tactical Air Control Party volunteer for fundraisers, memorial services, dedications, and reunions National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Youth Tour delegate representing Pedernales Electric Co-op, 2020, only home school student Benin Mission Advocacy Team member

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Coast Guard

L I A M

C O O P E R

Liam Cooper, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the Coast Guard, has a heart for helping others and a gift for raising money.

He has put both to work for organizations such as Wreaths Across America and Bottles for Change.

He is the son of Eileen and retired Coast Guard Capt. David Cooper, a helicopter pilot. The family was last stationed in New Orleans. They now live in Port Jefferson, New York, where Liam is a senior at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School.

The school is the sixth Liam has attended as his family PCS’d with the Coast Guard. This move was different from others. In the past, he and his younger sister found instant camaraderie with other military children. Vandermeulen’s student body is mostly children of civilians.

To boost military awareness at the school and celebrate veterans, Liam worked with school administrators to organize a fundraiser for Wreaths Across America. After promotion that included a local radio interview and a social media campaign, Liam raised over $2,700.

He also serves as co-manager of Bottles for Change, a nonprofit that collects glass bottles and

18 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

re-purposes them as decorative lights and olive oil dispensers to prevent them from going to a landfill. Despite the pandemic, the effort raised over $1,000.

At school, he holds leadership roles in clubs and is a starter on the varsity soccer team. He is co-captain of the varsity tennis team and of his travel soccer team.

In addition to school, sports, and volunteer activities, Liam worked full-time as a paid summer intern for the school district’s IT department assisting with setup of a hybrid learning model in response to COVID-19.

His writing was published in a Long Island newspaper during an unpaid summer internship.

Moving with the military has provided Liam a broad view of cultures, diversity, and inclusion.

The experiences have inspired him to pursue a career in public policy with the goal of serving others and making a difference in the world.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

—Dr. Seuss

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS Wreaths Across America, spearheaded campaign to raise more than $2,700 Bottles for Change, co-manager of nonprofit that recycles glass bottles by re-purposing them Varsity soccer team, captain Senior class treasurer Port Jefferson Fire Department Junior Company volunteer Port Jefferson Teen Library volunteer Leadership positions in various school clubs Member of National Society of High School Scholars

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

National Guard E L I S A

P U L I A F I C O

Elise Puliafico, the 2021 Military Child of the Year® for the National Guard, is an empathetic leader who wants to help other military children cope with being the child of a parent or guardian with PTSD related to military service.

Elise, 18, is the daughter of National Guard Lt. Col. Joseph Puliafico and Lynette Puliafico, a teacher. She has one older sister.

The family lives in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, where her dad is stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base.

She learned just how strong and resilient she is during her father’s deployment to Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015 when Elise was 12.

During this time, Elise’s mother had to have a routine surgery but dangerous complications required an extended hospitalization, including days in the ICU. Elise relied on her sister and grandparents to help during this time but knew she had to stay strong for her parents. She kept focusing on what she could control, like extracurricular activities, sports, school and other healthy outlets.

Overall, Elise has experienced over 60 months of her father being gone during deployments. But it was

20 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

after her father returned from the latest Afghanistan deployment that she learned more about PTSD. She used her own family’s post deployment experience to help others and advocates through the National Guard Teen Panel to focus PTSD educational programs for dependents of deployed service members in the reserve components.

Outside of her advocacy, Elise is active in various clubs as a senior at West Bridgewater Middle/ Senior High School. She is captain of varsity field hockey and tennis and enjoys skiing, baking, and reading. She plans to study civil engineering in college and wants to create sustainable affordable housing for military bases and underserved communities.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

—Marie Curie

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS 4.00 GPA (Unweighted) West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, class of 2021 United States National Guard Teen Panel (2019 - Present), Region 1 (Northeast) Representative American Legion Girls State (2020) ­—West Bridgewater selected representative Massachusetts HOBY Leadership Conference (W. Bridgewater Representative) 2019 Presidential Volunteerism Award— Bronze (July 2020) Class of 2021 Treasurer (2018 - Present) Member of both National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society (2019 - Present) Serves as representative on the State, Regional, and local level Student Advisory Council Boards (2017 - Present)

MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR ®

Space Force

J O S H U A

W O U D E N

Joshua Wouden, the first Military Child of the Year® for the Space Force, is Operation Homefront’s youngest recipient in 2021 at 13 years old. But through volunteering at his church, helping his mom take care of his four siblings when she suffers frequent and debilitating migraines, and displaying leadership skills among his baseball teammates, Joshua is already mature beyond his years.

Joshua is the son of Space Force Maj. Derek Wouden and Joy Miel Wouden, a copyeditor and stay-athome mom. He is the oldest of five children, three brothers and one sister. His family lineage is one of service: two great-grandfathers served in WWII, two grandfathers and an uncle were career military, and two more uncles served a combined 15 years. Given the service history of his family, one of Joshua’s proudest moments of being a military child was not even about him but when his dad was chosen as part of leadership and commissioned for the country’s newest branch.

Moving has been the most challenging aspect of being a military child for Joshua. Joshua’s dad was gone for six months for

22 | Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year® Awards Gala

a deployment, and the family has moved four times, most recently to Colorado. Baseball and volunteering have helped him maintain his friends and feel connected to each community.

Joshua has played baseball since he was three years old and is a highly-valued asset on his travel team both on and off the field.

Much of his volunteering is with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ young men organization. He completes service projects for ward and community members, participates in a council with other ward leaders monthly, and prepares and passes the sacrament ordinance to members weekly.

Joshua is in gifted and talented classes at Timberview Middle School in Colorado Springs. He has even skipped ahead two grades in math and participates in Science Olympiad.

Along with baseball, Joshua enjoys video games, wood burning, reading, piano, singing, board and card games, and being with friends.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Be patient with yourself. Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life. Don’t demand things that are unreasonable, but demand for yourself improvement. As you let the Lord help you through that, He will make the difference” —Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

SERVICE/LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Young Men Organization Science Olympiad Math Counts SCBC Grinders Baseball Talented and Gifted Classes Advanced Placement in Mathematics National Junior Honor Society

CONGRATULATIONS 2021 MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR WINNERS

The Future is in YOUR Hands.

Military Child of the Year Winners, you’ve made an indelible mark on your community, and we’re inspired by all you have accomplished.

From all of us at the University of Cincinnati Online, congratulations on this amazing achievement. We look forward to seeing your future successes.

Make your mark. Change the world.

Evolving education for a changing world.

Congratulations to the 2021 Military Child of the Year , Award Winners!

Your character and excellence are inspiring and make me proud to be a fellow military child.

You deserve this!

- David Hoffman Army Brat, Actor, Writer, Doug from 'Limu & Doug' www.TheDavidHoffman.com

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PAST RECIPIENTS

2009 Army

2010 Army

2011

Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard

2012

Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard

Brittany Wallace

Willie Banks Kyle Hoeye Taylor Dahl-Sims Melissa Howland Nicole Goetz Margaret Rochon Amelia McConnell Erika Booth James Nathaniel Richards Chelsea Rutherford Alena Deveau

2013

2016 Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard

2017 Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard Innovation

Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard Innovation

2014

2019

Navy Air Force Coast Guard

2015 Army

Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard

Kenzie Hall Michael LoganJordan Ryan Curtin Gage Dabin Juanita Collins Cavan McIntyreBrewer Christopher-Raul Rodriguez Emily Kliewer Sarah Hesterman Caleb Parsons Zachary Parsons

Henderson Heussner Jackson Beatty Alexander McGrath Jamal Braxton Mary Kate Cooper Molly Frey Sophie Bernstein

2018

Army Nicole Daly Marine Corps Abigail Perdew Alexander Burch Navy Mark Newberry Air Force Coast Guard Amanda Wimmersberg Army Marine Corps

Lorelei McIntyreBrewer Christian Fagala Jeffrey Burds Madeleine Morlino Keegan Fike John “Trip” Landon III

Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard Innovation

Rebekah Paxton Joshua Frawley Isabelle Richards Eve Glenn Roark Corson Aaron Hall Shelby Barber Elisabeth McCallum Polleys Jaxson Jordon Elisabeth Lundgren Benjamin Rawald Kylie McGuirer Campbell Miller Brandon Mammano

2020 Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard Innovation

Fionnuala Mahoney Niklas Cooper Miryam Smith Samantha Grab Pierce Corson Kristina Lee Kainath Kamil

MILITARY KIDS are exceptional in many ways

In fact, they’re pretty super.

Veterans United Home Loans is proud to support Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year®.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients and three cheers for all the military kids making us proud.

1-800-884-5560 | 1400 Veterans United Drive, Columbia, MO 65203 | Veterans United Home Loans NMLS # 1907 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Licensed in all 50 states. Equal opportunity Lender.

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MILITARY CHILD OF THE YEAR AWARDS GAL A ®

April 19, 2018 | Arlington, VA

SAVE THE DATE April 7, 2022

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